


From the Ashes

by Anemonii



Category: Naruto
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Sasuke Never Left Konoha, The Sannin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-10 19:42:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18414584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anemonii/pseuds/Anemonii
Summary: Sakura was the one who started everything. She was the one who first read about Tsunade, one of the legendary sannin. She told the other two about the jutsu specialist Orochimaru, who deserted his village and betrayed his teammates. She told them about Jiraiya, the toad sage with an affinity for breaking the three shinobi vices. Naruto convinced Sasuke to become stronger for himself and their team. Their goal became surpassing the sannin. No one ever expected Kakashi's dysfunctional team seven to turn into the Three Dragons of Konoha.





	From the Ashes

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [backslide](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1382857) by [blackkat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackkat/pseuds/blackkat). 



> EXPLANATION OF PLOT:  
> This story follows team seven’s development from a group with a rabid fangirl, a lonely boy obsessed with revenge, and an idiot who would do anything for attention into a team the likes of which has never been seen before by the shinobi world. They become Konoha’s feared and famous san ryū, renowned for their teamwork and ferocity.  
> Sakura becomes a strong kunoichi specializing in genjutsu and medical ninjutsu. Naruto masters the Kyuubi's chakra as well as sage mode. Sasuke becomes an agile sword user and develops the ability to channel and control lightning chakra.
> 
> NOTES:  
> This is a fic I wrote a long time ago and forgot I finished. This is unedited and barely read-through, so please forgive me for spelling errors and inconsistencies.  
> 三竜 (San ryū) means “three dragons”

It is a windy day. Sasuke and Naruto are sparring on what has become their favorite training ground. Sakura comes running towards them with an armful of books from the library, excited. They stop and turn to face her as she approaches. She comes up to them and immediately goes off about something called “the sannin”. Sasuke has to stop her and tell her to start over more slowly, which makes Naruto grateful.

“Have either of you heard of the legendary sannin?” Sakura asks.

“No,” they respond simultaneously, sending each other a glare afterward.

“Well, they were this team of shinobi from Konoha. They were called the sannin because there were three of them, and they were all super powerful together. They were the third hokage’s students. There was Lady Tsunade, daughter of the first Hokage and a medical-nin with superhuman strength. Jiraiya is known as the toad sage because he has toad summons and can use something called sage mode. The last one is Orochimaru, but he became obsessed with learning every single ninjutsu in the world and deserted the village. Now, he’s an S-rank missing-nin. I know both of you really want to get stronger, and I certainly don’t want to fall behind. Actually, I started reading after realizing how powerless I was facing Zabuza and Haku... I thought… maybe we could ask Kakashi-sensei or Lord Third to let us go find Tsunade or Jiraiya and ask them to help train us!”

Sasuke and Naruto share an astonished glance before they look back at Sakura.

“What we have to do?” Sasuke asks.

Sakura grins like her birthday came early and dumps some of the books on each of them.

“First of all: read. We can’t surpass the sannin if we don’t know enough about them.”

So they start studying.

~+~+~+~+~

It turns out to be much more difficult than they expected to convince the third Hokage to let them try to find Tsunade and Jiraiya. Naruto eventually convinces him to call Jiraiya back to the village to at least meet their team. On the day Jiraiya is rumored to be arriving, the three of them are waiting at the gates with Kakashi. Sakura is reading some new book about medical ninjutsu and practicing her chakra control intermittently. Naruto is reading about previous jinchuuriki. Sasuke has one of the Uchiha clan books out, the one about the Sharingan.

Kakashi, of course, has his porn.

When an old man approaches the village gates, Naruto is the first to notice.

“Hey! Is that him?” he hisses to Sakura, prompting her to look up.

“It must be,” she replies, sounding awed.

Sasuke follows their gazes to the man. He has spiky, long white hair, wooden sandals, and a huge scroll tied to his back. Sasuke recognizes it as a summon scroll.

“Hey kids,” the man calls with a wave to them. “Kakashi, too. This is a surprising welcome party.”

“Well, I’ve been a slave to these three ever since Sakura got the other two hooked on the idea of surpassing the legendary sannin,” Kakashi claims, closing his book and tucking it away.

“Ah, so these are the runts Sarutobi-sensei wants me to take a look at,” Jiraiya says, looking at the genin again.

He puts his hand on his chin thoughtfully, surveying them. They look back up at him hopefully.

“Why do you want to surpass the sannin?” he asks.

They startle.

“I’m going to become Hokage and make everyone recognize me!” Naruto exclaims.

Jiraiya hums and looks at Sasuke.

“I need to gain the strength to kill a certain man,” Sasuke admits.

Jiraiya frowns slightly but moves on to Sakura.

“I can’t just stay weak and fall behind my teammates,” Sakura says fiercely.

Jiraiya puts his hand on his hips.

“You three have potential.”

They light up.

“However, you don’t stand a chance. If you could talk Tsunade into training you, I might reconsider, but as it is I can’t see it. Try me again after you pass your chunin exams,” he tells them.

Sakura deflates. Sasuke starts to get angry. Naruto slams his book shut and stands up. He marches up to Jiraiya and stands in front of him stubbornly.

“If you think we’ll give up that easily, you’re way off, mister! If you won’t train us, fine! We’ll just get stronger on our own! Right, dattebayo?”

“Yeah!” Sakura agrees, pumping her fist.

Sasuke nods firmly.

Naruto nods back at them and crosses his arm, looking at the toad sage again.

“I like you, kid,” Jiraiya tells Naruto, ruffling his hair. “I just don’t think you should set your sights too high.”

Naruto narrows his eyes.

“Why don’t you think we can do it?” he asks.

His tone is controlled and calm, but there is a dangerous edge to it that his teammates haven’t heard before. Kakashi’s eyes widen. Sakura and Sasuke exchange worried glances. Sakura stands up and puts her hand on Naruto’s shoulder.

“Naruto--,” she starts.

“No. Let me hear his answer.”

Naruto’s eyes are narrowed at Jiraiya, and his mouth is set in a grim line. It’s frightening to see him look that calm. He’s always so expressive, you usually know exactly what he’s thinking. Jiraiya seems to be picking up on this boy’s anger because he starts to look a little uneasy.

“It’s not that I don’t think you can do it, kid. You just have a long way to go before you could use anything I can teach you,” Jiraiya claims.

Naruto glares at him for a little longer. Then he shrugs.

“Fine. We’ll just find someone else to train the next sannin. Which _will_ include the greatest Hokage this world has ever seen, the strongest medic-nin since Tsunade, and the strongest shinobi ever. Just you wait! They’ll be calling us the best team in Konoha before you know it, dattebayo! And all the credit will go to whoever we find, instead of you.”

Sakura looks at Sasuke, who looks just as surprised as she does. Then Sasuke regains his cold composure and comes to stand next to Naruto.

“That’s right,” he agrees.

Sakura suddenly understands what they’re doing. She schools her expression into one of indifference and crosses her arms, taking her place on Naruto’s other side.

“Yup. Then you’ll definitely wish you’d trained us,” she adds.

Jiraiya looks at them, bewildered. Kakashi sighs long-sufferingly and pulls out his book again.

“...Alright,” Jiraiya agrees, putting his hands up placatingly. “I’ll do it. Just don’t blame me when the three of you start falling apart under the training.”

“Deal,” Naruto replies, grinning.

Sakura laughs and leaps forward to hug Jiraiya. She immediately pulls back and apologizes, but Jiraiya just laughs and pats her on the head. Even Sasuke is resisting a faint smile.

~+~+~+~+~

The training is grueling. Sakura regrets ever mentioning the sannin. Sasuke thinks he might die from lack of sleep alone. Naruto, somehow, is the only one of them who is still able to grit his teeth and get up early to train every day. Kakashi has started teaching Sasuke a technique called Chidori while Jiraiya teaches Naruto Rasengan. Sakura has been spending time at the hospital, learning medical ninjutsu. When they’re not training, they’re reading, even during meals. The only time they are not doing either of those is when they sleep.

As they progress in their separate fields, their teamwork starts lagging, and Kakashi notices this. He decides to take them on a week-long training mission. Jiraiya gets that time off since he was never team seven’s official teacher.

The genin are ready to depart at dawn, despite Kakashi's usual tardiness. When they finally leave, it’s almost noon.

First, he takes them over a mountain, forcing them up a cliff face which makes them use the tree-climbing technique he taught them in the Land of Waves. Next, they have to race through a dangerous stretch of forest. Their third task is crossing a lake, on which he teaches them how to walk on water. Finally, they get to camp out for a night at the base of a grassy hill. After they work together to set up camp, Kakashi lets them go watch the sunset. Sakura chooses to stay behind and cook their dinner for them, some fish they caught in their water training. Sasuke and Naruto hike up to the top of the hill and sit down just past the point where the sight of camp disappears.

They lean back on their hands and stare up at the moon and stars. It is a clear night. Suddenly, Naruto sees a shooting star.

“Shooting star! Make a wish,” he says, pointing.

Sasuke startles and follows his finger.

“I wish I can get strong enough to kill my brother,” he murmurs.

Naruto glances at him out of the corner of his eye for a moment before looking back at the sky.

“I wish to become Hokage and make everyone will acknowledge me!” he exclaims proudly.

Sasuke snorts.

“You’re an idiot,” he says.

Naruto looks over at his best friend and tilts his head slightly.

“Why?”

“It’s not the person who becomes Hokage who is acknowledged by everyone; it’s the person who is acknowledged by everyone who becomes Hokage,” Sasuke claims.

Naruto’s eyes widen. He never thought of it that way, but… it does make more sense. Naruto grins.

“Thank, Sasuke!”

Sasuke looks over at him, startled.

“For what?”

“For the advice! I never thought about it like that, dattebayo.”

“Hn. Usuratonkachi,” Sasuke retorts, hopeful the darkness hides the blush he knows is creeping onto his cheeks.

Naruto laughs, a bright and clear sound, and Sasuke feels something warm and comforting take root in his heart.

 _Oh,_ he thinks. _Oh no._

~+~+~+~+~

None of them have seen much of the other genin since everyone was split up into teams. They have barely even run into each other since setting their sights on surpassing the sannin. So while their own progress seems unsurprising to them and Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma are shocked when Kakashi tells them he intends to submit his team into the chunin exams.

“We’re doing it to give our students a taste of what the exams require from them,” Asuma states when Kakashi asks why he is submitting his team.

“We know they’re not ready, but they at least get to understand what they’ll need to improve,” Kurenai adds.

“I think they’re ready,” Kakashi tells them, reading.

Asuma and Kurenai just gape at him.

They’re in the jounin lounge of sorts, which is really just where most of the ones who aren’t on missions go to get away from their genin teams or do whatever work they need to get done.

“You have the last Uchiha, the jinchuuriki, and Sakura Haruno, correct?” Guy asks solemnly.

“Mhm,” Kakashi hums.

Guy strokes his chin thoughtfully for a moment.

“What sort of youthful training have they undergone?” he asks.

“Well, that’s a bit difficult to explain,” Kakashi claims, smiling with his eye.

Kurenai sighs.

“I’ll bet 20 bucks your team fails the second exam,” Anko tells Kakashi, coming over.

“I’ll take it,” he responds.

~+~+~+~+~

Team seven passes the pre-test quickly. The first round, they do so with little difficulty. In the second, things get a little more complicated.

They get ahold of one of the other teams’ scrolls and luck out when they find out that it’s the one they needed. They head towards the tower as quickly as they can. Suddenly, they get stopped by the kunoichi from earlier with the weird tongue.

When the strange shinobi reveals himself as Orochimaru, they panic. Sasuke becomes paralyzed by fear. Naruto, surprisingly, is the only one who keeps an even remotely level head. He stops the giant snake summon, helping Sasuke regain his senses. Sakura and he work together to slap a seal over Orochimaru’s mouth, their reading giving them the knowledge of the missing-nin’s ability to pull a sword from his own body, as well as to shed his skin if he gets injured.

He gets angry and tries to tear it off, but Sakura captures him in a subtle genjutsu. Naruto and Sasuke tie him up with vines as well as they can in the few minutes before Orochimaru snaps himself out of it. He glares at the three of them murderously until they move on, heading towards the tower faster than before.

When they get there, they are the first ones to arrive. Naruto whoops, but Sakura reminds him they have to report what happened in the forest. Sasuke locates the hidden camera with his Sharingan and they approach it.

“The S-rank missing-nin Orochimaru has been subdued and restrained in the southeast section of the forest, approximately two hundred yards from the entrance,” Sakura says.

On the monitor side, the jounin watching startle. Anko is the first one to get up and disappear, heading for the hokage’s office. He sends and ANBU team with her into the forest, where they find Orochimaru still restrained, though writhing and shouting muffled curses behind the seal. Stunned, they take him into custody and bring him to the interrogation room.

Team seven finds out that they beat a record.

They end up making it through the preliminary third round as well, all three of them winning. Sakura finds her long hair a nuisance and goes to get it cut. Sasuke and Naruto go back to their training, Sasuke still not having fully mastered Chidori and Naruto, the Rasengan. Sasuke learns how to use a sword. Naruto ends up making a contract with the toads during that time as well, and Jiraiya teaches him how to use the Kyuubi's chakra. Sakura masters medical ninjutsu and starts to figure out how to focus chakra in her knuckles to give her more strength.

None of them notice the fact that the jounin start treating them with more respect, nor the difficulty their former classmates are having accepting this new version of them.

In the final round, when all of them fight against genin from other countries, they realize they might have to fight each other at some point. Sakura is the first one to say she won’t hold back, so the other two agree not to as well.

Finally, the day of the fights begins. Feudal lords, the five Kage, and citizens of every land are in Konoha for this part of the exams. Everyone is looking forward to Sasuke’s fight with a boy named Gaara from Suna. Sasuke doesn’t seem nervous, but Naruto sees through him and forces his two teammates into a sleepover at his apartment the night before their fights. Sakura takes out a book and he tells her that tonight, they won’t study, they won’t prepare, they’ll just rest up. Somehow, he talks them into sharing his bed with him.

The next morning, they wake up to Naruto’s alarm and get ready, arming themselves with explosive tags, kunai, and shuriken. They eat breakfast that Sasuke makes; eggs with toast. Right before they leave, Naruto says something.

“We’ve trained harder than anything to get stronger. We defeated an S-class ninja, even if he did underestimate us. Today, we show everyone watching us who the chunin who will surpass the sannin are,” he tells his teammates grimly.

They nod back solemnly.

“No holding back,” Sakura says, putting her fist out in front of her.

“No holding back,” Naruto agrees, putting his hand on top of hers.

“No holding back,” Sasuke replies, adding his hand as well.

They nod one more time before they break up and head out the door, walking towards the arena.

~+~+~+~+~

Their performance shocks everyone. Naruto and Sakura aren’t just nobodies anymore. Naruto defeats Neji, Sasuke beats Gaara, Kankuro drops out so Temari defeats Shino, and Sakura knocks Shikamaru out before he has time to think of a strategy.

Before the second rounds, Sakura, Temari, Sasuke, and Naruto are given the rest of the day to prepare and have their injuries tended to. After team seven gets out of the hospital and Kakashi treats them to dinner for all winning their matches, they go to their favorite study place. It’s a terrace of sorts built above the Hokage monument with a good view of Konoha.

“So tomorrow you two are fighting,” Sakura comments, saying the thing neither of them is brave enough to mention.

“About time,” Sasuke claims. “I’ve wanted to fight you forever, dobe.”

“Yeah, me too, bastard,” Naruto retorts.

They settle into nervous silence again.

“Good luck against Temari, Sakura,” Naruto eventually says, but his voice is soft.

“Thanks,” she replies.

She wants to wish him good luck too, but she wants to do the same for Sasuke and it wouldn’t be fair. Just a few months ago, when their teams were assigned, she would have happily cheered for Sasuke over the dead-last idiot. Now… she cares about them both, and the three of them are going to become stronger _together_.

“If I beat Temari… I’ll have to fight one of you,” she tells them.

They don’t respond, both of them looking at the village.

“I read that it’s not just the champion who gets promoted,” Naruto claims. “They judge your performance in the fight.”

“That’s useful,” Sasuke admits.

Naruto bites his lip and nods, frowning.

“That means even if only one of us wins… we might all get promoted,” Sakura summarizes.

“Right,” Sasuke replies.

“We’re gonna surpass the sannin,” Naruto reminds them, and himself.

“Yes,” Sakura agrees.

The sun starts to set behind them and she says she should go home now because her parents are probably waiting for her. Sasuke and Naruto are left behind in silence.

“We’re really similar,” Naruto realizes.

“How?” Sasuke asks.

“Well, we’re both orphans,” Naruto admits. “A lot of the villagers used to look at us differently, too. For me it was hatred… like I was something gross on the bottom of their shoe.”

“They pity me,” Sasuke says.

Naruto looks over at him. Sasuke’s grip tightens on the railing and he grits his teeth.

“When my brother… killed our clan, he told me… to hate him. To despise him. To get stronger, only so I can kill him. He said he killed them all just to test his strength.”

Sasuke has no idea why he’s saying all this. He hasn’t told anyone. Somehow… he wants to tell Naruto, though. If only to make him realize that they aren’t the same.

“That really doesn’t sound like Itachi-nii,” Naruto replies.

Sasuke’s eyes widen and he stares over at Naruto. Naruto just looks thoughtful.

“I mean… he loved the village even more than his family, but he always loved you more than anything,” Naruto says.

Sasuke’s brain starts going into overdrive.

“What if there was some sort of plan; something most of the Uchiha knew about, so they had to be eliminated,” Naruto suggests.

_No, that can’t be…_

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sasuke tries, but his voice sounds shaky even to his own ears.

Naruto turns towards him and his eyes reflect the sky like they always do in the daytime, but with the colors of the sunset mixed in it’s… mesmerizing. His expression is calm, the opposite of how Sasuke feels.

“Itachi-nii was ANBU, wasn’t he? So he could have been given that kind of mission,” Naruto says.

“Shut up!” Sasuke snaps.

“No, because it makes sense, you know it does!” Naruto replies.

Sasuke’s breath catches in his throat because it _does_. Suddenly he can’t breathe. His heart feels like it’s stopping, and his body burns. His vision starts to narrow and he loses his balance. His sight goes red and he realizes it’s the Sharingan, but this time it’s stronger… So he managed to reach full strength with it.

“Sasuke,” Naruto calls. “Sasuke, are you okay?”

Sasuke falls and Naruto takes his hands, forcing him to look his blonde best friend in the eye. Naruto tells him to breathe and guides him, breathing in deeply and out slowly. Sasuke follows and slowly, the panic subsides. He realizes he’s sitting on the ground, his back against the rock face. Naruto is in front of him, looking worried and still holding his hands. Sasuke wraps his arms around his knees and Naruto lets go of his hands. Sasuke buries his face in his knees.

Something must have happened. There’s no possible way his big brother just… snapped. He makes up his mind to go talk to the Hokage when he can. His thought process is interrupted when he feels warm arms wrap around him, and a chin rests on his shoulder. He lifts his head slightly and sees Naruto.

Sasuke doesn’t remember being hugged since that night. Naruto… Naruto probably hasn’t been hugged his whole life.

Sasuke hesitantly reaches out and wraps his arms around his teammate’s waist. Gently, cautiously, he squeezes. He buries his nose in Naruto’s hair and realizes that he smells like sunflowers and very faintly like miso. Sasuke smiles slightly at that.

He doesn’t want to let go, he realizes. Naruto is warm and comforting. So very different from Sasuke, but there’s something in the way he holds Sasuke that makes him realize his teammate understand him at least somewhat. Maybe they say you can only understand another shinobi by exchanging blows, but Sasuke begs to differ; hugs work the same way.

He feels something wet and warm slip down his cheek and recognizes it as a tear. He sniffs and buries his face into Naruto’s stupid orange jacket. Naruto doesn’t say anything, and Sasuke is grateful.

After what feels like an eternity and just a second simultaneously, Sasuke mutters thanks and pulls away. Naruto sits down next to him and keeps looking at him, concerned. Sasuke wipes his eyes and smiles softly at his best friend, the last colors of the sunset fading overhead.

Naruto realizes that Sasuke’s eyes reflect the stars. They look like the night sky. Something warm unfurls inside him, not hot and angry like the fox. Something calmer; kinder.

Naruto used to feel that way towards Sakura, but he realizes he hasn’t really in a long time. Not since…

The mission to Wave.

Not since he thought Sasuke had died and he felt purer unbridled fury than he ever had before.

“Sasuke, I like you.”

Sasuke’s eyebrows furrow in confusion.

“I mean… I don’t like Sakura anymore, and I… I really like you,” Naruto tells him.

Sasuke’s eyes widen in understanding. Naruto feels fear and anxiety run through him.

“I… like you too,” Sasuke admits.

Naruto is stunned. He laughs breathlessly.

“I still won’t go easy on you,” Sasuke claims.

“Me neither,” Naruto promises, beaming. “Loser has to buy dinner.”

“Deal.”

They end up sleeping in Sasuke’s apartment. Sasuke wears his shorts to bed, and Naruto just his boxers. Sasuke’s bed is significantly roomier than Naruto’s, but his apartment is smaller. The whole place is much tidier and has a balcony.

Despite the huge bed, they lie down with only about a foot of space between them.

“Are you okay? Earlier, I didn’t think--” Naruto starts.

“Shut up, dobe,” Sasuke interrupts him. “I’m fine.”

He takes Naruto’s hand under the covers and Naruto looks over at him, wide-eyed. Sasuke just closes his eyes and turns his head away.

~+~+~+~+~

Naruto wakes up first in the morning and tries to shake Sasuke awake. He gets smothered by a pillow for his effort.

So Sasuke doesn’t like being woken up. Good to know.

When they finally manage to get up and get dressed, they walk to the arena a little closer than normal. Villagers and strangers alike stare and whisper as they walk past, and both of them grit their teeth and glare back.

They arrive at the arena and stand in the contestant waiting room. Sakura and Temari are probably up in the stands for now. 

“You’d better prove your training with Kakashi-sensei was worth it, dattebayo!” Naruto exclaims.

“Same to you, usuratonkachi,” Sasuke retorts.

They step up to the archway leading into the area.

“I can’t wait for my free Ichiraku meal,” Naruto says.

“As if you could beat me,” Sasuke snorts.

Naruto chuckles.

Then the proctor calls them out and they step into the arena side by side.

They shake and settle into fighting stances, eyes narrowed and expressions controlled.

“Fight!” the proctor calls.

They start with a right punch, which they both catch. Sasuke goes for a kick and Naruto catches it, starts to swing him around. Sasuke pushes off the ground and kicks him back. Naruto flies back for a punch but Sasuke sidesteps him and flips him, sending him skidding away in a crouch. Naruto creates enough shadow clones to fill the arena halfway. Sasuke activates his Sharingan and finds the original. He wipes out the fakes within minutes, only to find the original with a Rasengan in hand. Sasuke dodges just in time for the Rasengan to drill a hole in the ground where Sasuke had been standing. Sasuke throws some kunai that Naruto blocks with one of his own and returns the volley. Sasuke hits them out of the air with shuriken and sends some past Naruto, making it look like the missed. Sasuke smirks when some of the shuriken hit each other at the right angles to go flying around behind Naruto. The wires attached to them get caught around his teammate and Sasuke pulls them taught. His teammate calls out but Sasuke doesn’t let go. Naruto runs towards Sasuke suddenly and jumps away before Sasuke can tighten the wires again. Sasuke creates a fireball and sends it out. Naruto looks like he got caught right in the blast. Sasuke smirks, thinking he has won. For a moment, the crowd waits in tense silence as the smoke starts to clear.

Then Sasuke sees Naruto creating another Rasengan and then come running towards him screaming Sasuke’s name. Sasuke grits his teeth and creates a Chidori. He runs towards his friend and Naruto dodges enough to get grazed on the shoulder and Sasuke feels Naruto’s attack just miss him, tearing his shirt.

They slide back and take a moment to catch their breath.

“If you attack like that, dobe, you’ll never beat me!” Sasuke taunts.

“I could say the same to you, bastard! I thought we agreed not to hold back!” Naruto retorts.

Sasuke narrows his eyes and sprints towards him again. Naruto blocks his attacks and returns with a few of his own, but neither of them lands a hit or has time to make a hand sign. Finally, they leap apart and Sasuke creates another fireball. Naruto uses clones to take the brunt of the attack and comes out of the flames with a Rasengan again. Sasuke flies towards him mid-air with Chidori once more. This time, the intent to kill is set.

Kakashi and some of the ANBU guards start to move, but none of them get there before the attacks combine in a purple sphere that darkens as it expands around them, finally stopping once both of them are consumed. Then it suddenly flares brilliantly white and explodes. Everyone else covers their eyes.

~+~+~+~+~

Sasuke wakes up in a hospital room. He tries to sit up and winces at the pain in his shoulder. He hears someone huff a laugh and glances over. Naruto is lying down in another hospital bed, his right arm wrapped up from the elbow down.

“We were both knocked out. Stalemate. I guess neither of us won, dattebayo.”

Sasuke chuckles and Naruto looks over at him, surprised.

“I guess we’re just going to have to go out for dinner twice,” he says.

Naruto grins.

“Yeah!”

Sasuke stands up and grimaces. Naruto sits up and looks over at him worriedly.

“You shouldn’t move too much, you’ve lost a lot of chakra,” Naruto says.

“Has Sakura’s match started yet?” Sasuke asks.

“No. They had to repair the arena after what we did,” Naruto replies.

Sasuke heads towards the door. Naruto gets up and follows him, calling for him to wait.

They get to the seating area and stand at the top, watching. There are two seats down near the front that they go and take.

“Naruto! Sasuke?” Kiba asks, sitting behind them.

“Hey Kiba!” Naruto responds, grinning. “We kind of made a mess, didn’t we? Our bad.”

He laughs and scratches the back of his neck. Sasuke snorts.

“Dobe. You’re lucky we’re alive,” he points out.

Naruto’s laugh turns sheepish.

Neither of them is oblivious to the stares and murmurs directed towards them.

“The match is starting,” Hinata points out, drawing their attention back to the arena.

Sakura and Temari are facing each other this round. Temari starts off with a one-star attack from her fan, which Sakura dodges. At first, it seems like Temari is just toying with her, but Sasuke and Naruto know better. When Sakura stops running, Temari throws a three-star attack at her. Sakura counters by cracking a fissure in the earth and using the rocks as cover. Then she traps Temari in a genjutsu and it’s all over.

Sakura is announced the winner of the exams. Sasuke and Naruto meet her in front of the waiting room, smiling.

“You shouldn’t be out of bed!” she scolds immediately.

“Congratulations,” Sasuke tells her gently.

She startles and gapes at him for a moment. Naruto snickers and puts his hands behind his head.

“I was going to take Sasuke to Ichiraku!” Naruto says. “Do you want to come?”

“Sure,” she replies, too surprised to do anything else.

Her two teammates who usually do nothing but bicker with each other are… getting along. Not just that, they’re… being nice to each other. Something must have happened after she left them at the overlook because there’s no other way a fight like the one she just witnessed could possibly change all that between them.

“Not so fast,” a familiar voice interrupts.

Kakashi does not look even remotely amused.

“Sakura, good job, but you two--!”

“We know, we shouldn’t have aimed those attacks at each other,” Sasuke replies.

Kakashi seems even more shocked than Sakura.

“We won’t do it again, sensei,” Naruto promises.

“We just promised not to hold back,” Sasuke adds.

Naruto nods along.

Kakashi stares at them.

“...Alright then, I guess. The Hokage has asked to meet with the three of you,” he tells them.

“Thank you, Kakashi-sensei. We’ll be there soon,” Sakura replies.

Kakashi wonders when his dysfunctional team changed so much.

~+~+~+~+~

Team seven enters the third hokage’s office and find Shikamaru already there. He looks surprised when they walk in, and the three of them are really starting to get used to that expression. It’s starting to get annoying.

The Hokage scolds Naruto and Sasuke for their recklessness. Then he appraises all four of them for their performances in the exam. Lastly, he promotes them all to chunin and hands over their vests.

They take them gingerly, carefully putting them on. Sakura grins.

“I think we should go out for dinner,” she suggests to her teammates as they leave.

“Why?” Sasuke retorts.

“Obviously, because we’re chunin! To celebrate!” she tells them.

They glance at each other. The hole Sasuke has been burning in the clan savings weighs down on him, and Naruto’s wallet suddenly feels suspiciously empty.

They look back at Sakura after a brief nod to each other.

"Are you going to pay?" Sasuke asks bluntly, raising an eyebrow.

Sakura pouts, but with a resigned sigh she replies, "Yes."

“Let’s go eat some ramen!” Naruto exclaims with his fist in the air, already leading the way to Ichiraku.

~+~+~+~+~

Sasuke arranges to meet the Hokage in private. He confronts Sarutobi about the murder of his clan. After a long while of half-answers and avoidance, Sasuke squeezes the true story out of the old man, including the fact that Itachi didn’t want his little brother to be looked down upon by the villagers, which is why he pretended to have gone insane. Sasuke has a hard time accepting it and leaves the office dazed. He bumps into a big-breasted kunoichi and offers an apology. The kunoichi is so startled she doesn’t even respond. Sasuke trudges forward, not entirely sure where he’s going. Eventually, he finds himself knocking on Naruto's door.

Naruto gets one look at his expression and rushes him inside. He makes tea and gives Sasuke his jacket to wear for now. Sasuke just stares off into the distance.

“You were right,” he admits at length.

Naruto watches him expectantly. Sasuke focuses on him, allowing his composure to slip.

“The Uchiha were planning to overthrow Konoha. Itachi… agreed to stop them. He couldn’t bring himself to kill me, so he ran away from the village with a few conditions. No one was allowed to know why Itachi killed the Uchiha, especially not me. I was supposed to be proud. Of my heritage,” Sasuke summarizes.

Naruto looks down into his mug, frowning slightly.

“That’s the absolute worst thing a brother could do,” Naruto states firmly.

He looks up and meets Sasuke’s gaze. Sasuke expected pity, but instead, all he sees is anger.

“We’re going to find him and I’m gonna beat him up real good,” Naruto says.

Sasuke huffs a laugh and grips the mug tighter.

After they eat dinner (rice and stir-fried vegetables), they go to bed. This time, Sasuke buries his head in Naruto’s chest and lets Naruto draw him in. He breathes in the smell of sunflowers and miso while Naruto plays with his hair gently until they both fall asleep.

~+~+~+~+~

The woman Sasuke ran into outside the hokage’s tower was apparently Tsunade, one of the legendary sannin. She was finally convinced to come back to the village and take up the position of Hokage, despite still considering the job a fool’s errand. Jiraiya takes Sasuke and Naruto traveling to train. Sasuke finds a mentor with bird summons and makes a contract with the creatures. Sasuke has the best relationship with a hawk named Akemi. Naruto also learns how to summon toads. Sasuke’s sword usage improves and he gets a specially crafted katana designed to channel lightning and wind chakra. The wind was so Naruto can use it too in a battle.

The two of them have gotten better and better at their combination attacks. As their relationship strengthens, they get even better. Jiraiya picks up hints on something more than a friendship between them but doesn’t quite have enough evidence to pull a conclusion from the subtle touches and unnecessarily long glances.

It’s only when he accidentally walks in on them making out on the floor of their hotel room that he has the inspiration to write his first boys-love novel.

Whenever he has a question about something, he asks one of them. Usually, he ends up getting a kunai thrown at him and no answers, but he always considers it worth it just to see them both turn red.

About a year and a half into the training, Jiraiya decides they need new clothes. Their old ones are too dirty and ragged for them to keep wearing them.

Naruto finds an almost exact replica of his old outfit, just better fitting and black where it used to be blue and white.

Sasuke settles for baggy black pants instead of his white shorts, and a white suikan. He has the Uchiha symbol embroidered on the nape about the size of his palm.

Sasuke and Naruto depart to track down Itachi. Sasuke confronts him about that night and Itachi gives him no answers. He forces Sasuke into a fight and once he is fatally wounded, Itachi admits that the version of events the third Hokage told Sasuke is true, but that Itachi is already dying. Right after Sasuke asks him what he means, Itachi coughs, hacking and wet. Blood splatters onto the stone floor.

“Otouto… I want you to kill me and take my eyes,” Itachi says.

“Aniki,” Sasuke replies gently. “There’s a medic-nin in Konoha who can stop the illness. Come back with us; we can patch you up well enough that you probably won’t die. You don’t need to atone for what you did. Hasn’t what you’ve already done been enough?” Sasuke replies.

Naruto beside him is barely held in check, his rage simmering under the surface.

“Otouto. I love you,” Itachi admits, caressing his little brother’s cheek. “That’s why the villagers can’t know what really happened. The clan’s honor will be ruined.”

“So what?!” Naruto finally snaps.

Both Uchihas startle and look over at him.

“They’re going to be a hell of a lot more accepting than I think either of you realizes. Let them get to know you. Sasuke, one of the strongest shinobi in Konoha, tied with Sakura and me. Itachi-nii as a nameless ANBU, whatever you feel like is easiest for you. Just… stop it with this stupid cat and mouse game. Itachi, do you have _any idea_ the pain Sasuke was in? Do you know what it’s like to be betrayed by the first person you thought cared about you? Do you know what _loneliness_ feels like? It’s _torture_! And you put him through all of that, you selfish--”

“Naruto,” Sasuke interrupts, putting a hand on his lover and best friend’s shoulder and looking him in the eye. “I know what you said when we were kids, and you’ve done that. Now, back. Down.”

Naruto sighs and steps back.

“Alright. You’re right. This isn’t my fight. I’m sorry,” he replies.

Sasuke nods to him and turns towards his older brother again. Itachi is caught somewhere between amazement and heartbreak.

“Sasuke-kun, it that all true?” he asks.

Sasuke looks him in the eye and Itachi realizes he can’t read his little brother anymore.

“Yes,” Sasuke admits.

Itachi’s heart sinks.

“However, I’ll forgive you if you return with us and come clean to the public about everything,” Sasuke adds.

Itachi’s eyes widen.

“You really have grown up, haven’t you Otouto?” he asks fondly.

~+~+~+~+~

They find a hideout and fix Itachi up as well as they can. Naruto uses Kurama’s chakra to help staunch the bleeding while Jiraiya sews him up. Afterward, while Itachi is sleeping, Sasuke gets up from where he had been sulking in the back of the cave. He leaves and Naruto follows after sharing a glance with Jiraiya. 

Naruto follows Sasuke from a distance so as not to disturb him, but to be there is Sasuke needs him. Sasuke steps up to a cliff overlooking the ocean and sighs. Naruto steps up behind him.

For a while, they just stand in silence. Naruto watches Sasuke’s shoulders start shaking and hears his faint sobs, but he doesn’t move forward and wrap his arms around him, as much as he wants to.

Finally, Sasuke sinks to his knees and puts his head in his hands. Naruto kneels beside him and pulls him into his chest. Sasuke lets him. Naruto shoots a glare at Jiraiya, watching them from the entrance of the cave. He startles and slips back into the shadows.

Naruto presses his lips to the top of Sasuke’s head.

Sasuke is so grateful to have Naruto beside him.

When Sasuke finally does stop crying, he looks up and Naruto gasps.

“The Mangekyo,” he realizes.

Sasuke smiles weakly and stands up. Naruto does as well. Sasuke grabs him by his jacket and pulls their bodies close enough that their noses brush.

“Naruto,” Sasuke says quietly, looking into his teammate’s eyes.

“Yes?” Naruto responds with his throat dry.

“I’m in love with you,” Sasuke murmurs.

“Me too,” Naruto breathes.

They close their eyes and close the last distance between them, tilting their heads carefully. Naruto’s hands snake around Sasuke’s waist and hold him tightly. Sasuke keeps his hold on the front of Naruto’s jacket desperately.

~+~+~+~+~

At the end of the second year, they return to Konoha. They step through the gate and wave to the guards, who welcome them back and give the hooded figure in Sasuke’s arms a suspicious look. Naruto assures them he’s with them. Jiraiya heads towards the tower and reports to the fifth Hokage. Sasuke and Naruto bring Itachi to the hospital. Sakura sees them when they come in and rushes over to them.

“Bring him in here,” she instructs, leading them to a room with a few beds in it.

“Do you have anything more… private?” Naruto requests.

She gives him a surveying look then nods and tells them to follow her. Sasuke lays his brother down on the hospital bed and Naruto closes the door. Sakura gasps when Sasuke lays the hood back.

Itachi is pale and close to death. He has a fever and his eyes are unfocused.

“Thank you, Otouto,” he tells Sasuke.

Sasuke nods grimly and looks up at Sakura.

“He’s almost dead. We did the best patch job we could, but we need your help,” he says.

“Understood,” Sakura responds.

She examines Itachi.

“Multiple broken ribs, internal bleeding, and a concussion. Not to mention the disease that has spread throughout his body. It’s a miracle he survived this long,” she says.

“I know,” Sasuke replies. “Do the best you can.”

Sakura nods firmly.

“Leave it to me.”

Then she shoos them out of the room and starts ordering medic-nin around.

“She really has taken control of this place,” Naruto comments.

“Yeah,” Sasuke agrees.

They leave the hospital and hop up on top of a pillar to look out over the town they call home.

“It hasn’t changed a bit,” Naruto exclaims.

“Really?” Sasuke asks in surprise. “I think it’s changed quite a bit.”

Naruto chuckles and leans into him.

“Should we go put our stuff in my place or yours?” he asks.

“Let’s give up our old apartments and move in together,” Sasuke suggests.

Naruto looks over at him.

“Alright,” he agrees easily.

Sasuke smiles slightly.

“For now, let’s just head to your place. It’s closer, after all.”

Naruto agrees and leads the way.

~+~+~+~+~

Kakashi tests the two of them plus Sakura and almost gets himself killed by one of Naruto and Sasuke’s sneak attacks. Sakura steals one of the bells and Sasuke takes the other, Naruto snaking his arm around his teammate’s waist proudly when they are standing in front of Kakashi, smirking.

“Looks like you three have changed very much indeed,” Kakashi says, standing up and brushing himself off. “Well, I’m proud I got to be your sensei for a few months at least.”

Naruto laughs.

~+~+~+~+~

Sasuke and Naruto find a place in the center of town with two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, balcony, and a bathroom. They already agreed to Sakura moving in with them. They establish a morning routine. Naruto gets up first and makes coffee. Sakura makes breakfast afterward. Sasuke gets up last and takes advantage of both. In return, he usually takes care of dinner. They all pay rent and usually go on missions together. They quickly earn themselves a fierce reputation as the san ryū or the three dragons.

When Jiraiya dies facing Pain, Naruto heads to Mount Myoboku to master sage mode. Sasuke misses him while he’s gone, but Itachi teaches him Susano’o to help take his mind off it.

Then Pain attacks Konoha.

Sakura gets swamped at the hospital and Sasuke and Itachi become Konoha’s main line of defense. After Pain uses his finishing blow to wipe out most of the village, they stand off on the edge of the ruins and stare out over the edge, using their Sharingan to see through the cloud of summoning smoke that just appeared.

“Amazing,” Itachi breathes.

“I’m definitely going to marry him after this,” Sasuke mutters.

Itachi glances over at him, amused.

“Shall we go fight beside your fiance, then?” he asks.

Sasuke summons Akemi and jumps on her back. His brother follows behind him. They soar down into the basin and land in front of the three giant toads, on the head of which sits Naruto, the area around his eyes golden.

“Sasuke. Is this guy responsible for all this?” Naruto asks solemnly, looking straight at Pain.

“Yes,” Sasuke responds.

“Let’s take him down,” Naruto suggests.

Sasuke smiles and takes off into the air on Akemi again.

~+~+~+~+~

Naruto practically defeats Pain by himself. Sasuke would have been more helpful if he hadn’t gotten killed halfway through the fight. Naruto even manages to convince Pain to heal all of the villagers. Once Konan hears that Naruto is friends with Sasuke, she insists on giving Sasuke Nagato’s eyes. Sasuke only accepts one, and Itachi ends up with the other.

Danzo is poisoned before he can act as the sixth Hokage and there are rumors someone from Root was behind it. Tsunade wakes up from her coma before Kakashi can be instated. Gaara sends Konoha the information about what happened at the five kage summit and Madara’s declaration of war.

Naruto is sent to Kumo to master the tailed beast mode, and Sasuke is sent with him as something of a guard, both to protect Naruto and to keep him in check. Kabuto attacks and an ANBU named Tenzou gets captured. Naruto progresses with the tailed beast mode quickly. He masters it and even meets his mother, an experience which he tells Sasuke about extensively, later. Then Naruto gets too curious.

He decides to leave and Sasuke realizes the war can’t be won without him, so he lets him go and ends up following him. Bee goes with them too and together, the three of them shatter the multi-layered seal with ease. It never stood a chance against two jinchuuriki and a Susano’o user.

They make it past the Hokage and the Raikage and hurry to the front lines.

~+~+~+~+~

The three dragons of Konoha are a force to be reckoned with. They defeat Madara and Obito, Kabuto, and Zetsu. Then they face the Sage of Six Paths. Sasuke and Naruto take the sun and moon tattoos. Then they defeat Kaguya, Naruto using a technique that gives Sasuke a nosebleed. Naruto sees it and gives him a knowing smirk. Sasuke glares at him.

After the fourth great shinobi war ends, Sasuke is forced out of the village in order to protect Konoha because others are after his eyes. Naruto decides to go with him, despite how close he is to becoming Hokage. Kakashi gets the position of Hokage instated, for now, the council deeming Naruto “too young and naive”. Sakura stays behind in Konoha and gets promoted to head of the hospital. Itachi continues as an ANBU, his disease cured by Sakura. Sasuke and Naruto run into trouble every once in a while, but as soon as their opponents realize who they are they tend to back off or go down screaming, depending on the situation.

When they return to the village, after a few more years of living together, Kakashi shows up at their apartment.

“Lord Sixth,” Sasuke greets. “Please come in.”

“I told you to drop the ‘lord’,” Kakashi chastises.

Sasuke smirks.

“Can I offer you some tea, Lord Sixth?”

Kakashi sighs and says no, he’ll only be here for a few minutes.

Naruto comes out of the bathroom and greets him loudly. Sakura comes out of her room, looking like she just woke up from a nap.

Once all of them are sitting on the couch and chairs in the san ryū’ living room, Kakashi somehow ending up with a cup of tea anyway, he starts.

“Naruto, how would you like to be Hokage?”

Naruto’s eyes widen. On his right, he takes Sasuke’s hand. Sakura smiles.

“You mean it?” Naruto breathes.

“Well, it’s not official yet,” Kakashi tells him.

Naruto laughs that same bright laugh that made Sasuke fall for him in the first place.

~+~+~+~+~

On the day of Naruto’s inauguration, Sasuke actually gets up early and helps Sakura make an elaborate breakfast. She eats and leaves the house with the child the three of them sort of adopted. The girl’s name is Nyoko, and Sasuke brought her back with him from one of his missions. She was orphaned and left to her own devices for a few years, but she reminded Sasuke of Naruto and decided to bring her home. The san ryū of Konoha are sort of her shared guardians.

Sakura claims she and Nyoko are meeting up with Hinata, but she winks at Sasuke before she heads out. Sasuke smirks and locks the door behind them. Then he heads back into the master bedroom he and Naruto share and wakes Naruto up with a nice, slow blowjob.

Naruto and Sasuke eat breakfast and take turns in the shower. Afterward, Sasuke fusses over Naruto’s outfit, making sure the Hokage cloak is clean and that his long hair won’t get in his eyes. He braids the sections on the sides that hang down and ties them with beaded leather. Then he brushes out the rest of Naruto’s hair out. Sasuke dresses in some of his more formal clothes and makes sure the promise rings they both are there.

Then they leave, heading for Hokage Tower.

~+~+~+~+~

Naruto really likes being Hokage. Sasuke is his guard and almost never leaves his side. He’s ANBU and wears his hawk mask often. Sometimes, Itachi sticks around him as well.

Nyoko becomes a genin and is put on a team with a kid called Denki and another named Iwabe. She loves her dads and her mom, even though her teammates have a hard time understanding the san ryū’s relationship. One time before the chunin exams, they come over for dinner. Nyoko finds her mother home from the hospital early, cooking. She greets Nyoko and her friends. The genin go upstairs to Nyoko’s room.

About an hour later, the door opens and the Hokage’s voice calls out, “I’m home!”

“I hope you’re not a clone!” Sakura calls back from the kitchen.

“Don’t worry, he left a clone at the office instead,” a muffled voice responds.

Naruto laughs as he hangs up his cloak. Nyoko smiles at her teammates.

“Do you want to meet my parents?” she asks.

The other two nod.

She gets up and leads them down the stairs.

“Hi dads!” she exclaims, running towards them.

Naruto laughs and lifts her up.

“Good evening, Nyoko! I hope you’ve been training very hard,” he says.

She giggles and he sets her down. The ANBU guard beside him smiles behind his mask and ruffles her hair.

“Woah,” Iwabe whispers. “Lord Seventh!”

“Yo! You must be Iwabe. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Naruto replies with a mock salute.

“Who’s the ANBU?” Denki questions.

Sasuke removes his mask and smiles at him.

“Nyoko, just who exactly _are_ your parents?” Iwabe asks.

“Sasuke Uchiha,” Sasuke introduces himself.

“Naruto Uzumaki,” Naruto adds.

“And Sakura Haruno.”

“Konoha’s san ryū,” they say together, Nyoko joining in excitedly.

Denki and Iwabe look awestruck.

Naruto laughs and snakes his arm around Sasuke’s waist. They step past the genin and walk towards the kitchen.

“Sakura-chan! What’s for dinner?” Naruto asks.

“Nothing, if you get in my way!” she retorts, poking at him with a wooden spoon.

Naruto laughs and pushes Sasuke in front of him as a human shield.

“Hey, don’t hide behind me!” Sasuke exclaims.

“No! She’s going to hurt me!” Naruto replies.

“Damn right I will! Now get out of the kitchen or you can take over instead!” Sakura scolds, pointing with the spoon.

Sasuke drags Naruto away and down the hall. He flashes the genin an apologetic expression before pushing Naruto through the door to the master bedroom and following him, slamming it behind them.

“Your parents are the san ryū,” Denki says.

“Yep! Now come on, Mama will probably give us a taste of the stew!” Nyoko replies, bouncing towards the kitchen.

~+~+~+~+~

When dinner is ready, Sakura calls everyone into the dining room for it. Sasuke changed into a standard jounin turtleneck and pants from his ANBU uniform, but Naruto is wearing the same clothes he came home in.

“Wow! This is great!” Naruto exclaims after a bite of stew.

“You were the one who designed this recipe,” Sakura reminds him.

“I know, but it tastes better when you make it,” he tells her.

Sasuke rolls his eyes and Sakura sighs.

“So Nyoko, how is your training going?” Sasuke asks.

“Great! I’ve almost mastered the shuriken throw Uncle has been teaching me,” she says.

“Good,” Sasuke replies.

“How’s your Rasengan, dear?” Sakura inquires.

Nyoko grins.

“I’ve been meaning to show you that. Dad, can you spar with me tomorrow?”

“Sorry sweetheart, I’m swamped with preparation for the exams. I can send a clone, though,” he replies.

“Oh. Okay! Thanks,” she tells him.

He smiles.

“I still can’t believe your parents are the san ryū,” Denki comments. “I mean, is it true that the three of you were trained by Jiraiya and Tsunade of the legendary sannin? And you restrained Orochimaru during the second phase of your chunin exams, which you passed on the first try?”

“Yes,” Sakura responds with a smile. “Although, these two were only trained by Jiraiya.”

She looks at Naruto and Sasuke.

“You were the one who told us about the sannin to begin with,” Naruto points out.

“And if it weren’t for you, usuratonkachi, Jiraiya never would have agreed to train us, and Tsunade wouldn’t have returned to Konoha,” Sasuke replies.

Naruto laughs sheepishly.

“All I did was talk to them,” he admits.

“You also talked to Nagato. And Gaara. And about half the enemies we’ve ever faced,” Sasuke retorts.

“You do have a gift with words,” Sakura says. “A silver tongue.”

“Oh yes,” Sasuke agrees, smirking.

Sakura kicks him under the table and he winces slightly.

Nyoko laughs at her parents’ antics. Dinner like this is normal when her dads come home in time.

Afterward, Nyoko and her teammates return to her room for a while. Nyoko’s room is almost directly above her dads’. She can hear them downstairs arguing over whose turn it is to do dishes. Naruto claims that he is so busy with the exams and is too tired to clean up the kitchen. That sentence is immediately followed by a yelp and the thud of a kunai hitting a wall.

“I spend all my time protecting you from yourself, dobe, do you think I’m not tired either?!” Sasuke snaps.

Naruto murmurs something the genin can’t make out and Sasuke agrees to the deal, whatever it was.

~+~+~+~+~

The chunin exams start fairly normally. Nyoko’s team passes the first and second stages. In the third, the matches are interrupted by someone called Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki. A scientist with a strange device jumps down into the arena and fires off jutsu after jutsu at him, which Momoshiki just absorbs one after another and fires back. Naruto and Sasuke defend the villagers but Naruto gets captured in the process. Sasuke is ready to lead the other four Kage into battle to retrieve Naruto when Nyoko runs up to him with her expression set firmly.

“Let me come with you.”

“It’s too dangerous,” Sasuke replies.

“Papa! He’s my Dad! The only reason Mama’s staying in the village is because she’s tending to the injured! Now is my chance to show you all that it was worth bringing me to Konoha and training me,” Nyoko proclaims.

Sasuke regards her. She has the same look Naruto did when he stood up to Jiraiya for them. Sasuke knows from personal experience this look means she won’t back down. He smiles softly and pokes her forehead.

“Alright,” he agrees.

“Sasuke, are you sure?” Gaara asks.

Sasuke looks at him.

“She’s like her father when she makes up her mind,” he says simply.

Then he creates a rinnegan portal and they step through, one after another.

~+~+~+~+~

Nyoko knew her dads are powerful. She knew her Dad is the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki, and that Papa is one of the last members of the Uchiha clan and can produce something called Susano’o. Even so, the stories can’t really explain their true power. When their strength is combined, it’s… epic, in the truest sense of the word.

Nyoko combines her version of the Rasengan with Dad’s, and they hit Momoshiki right in the face. Sasuke uses the rinnegan to take them home. They stumble back onto the roof of Hokage Tower and Naruto starts to talk with the other kage in low voices. Sasuke puts his arm around Nyoko’s shoulders and looks at her softly.

“Come on. Let’s go tell Sakura we’re all safe,” he says.

Nyoko nods and lets him steer her to the hospital.

Mama tries to punch Sasuke when he tells her he took Nyoko to rescue Naruto. That wouldn’t mean much if Mama’s punch didn’t send a gust of wind with it and Papa didn’t slide back two feet when he caught it.

“What were you thinking?!” Sakura scolds.

“She’s stubborn,” Sasuke replies.

“And you could’ve _forced_ her to stay back! Honestly, the only two people you’re weak against are Naruto and Nyoko,” Sakura tells him, putting her hands on her waist.

“I’m fine, Mama, really!” Nyoko assures her. “I helped Dad and Papa defeat the enemy!”

Sakura looks down at her.

“Is that so?” she asks.

“She’s right. We couldn’t have done it without her,” Naruto says, appearing next to Sasuke.

Mama punches him and Dad doesn’t have the same reflexes Papa does. Mama’s punch sends him flying into a piece of rubble from the Colosseum and Papa shunshins to his side, kneeling next to him and looking worried. Naruto looks unconscious.

“Those idiots,” Sakura says. “I’m glad you’re alright, Nyoko.”

Nyoko smiles up at her nervously. Naruto finally wakes up, dazed, and Sakura strides towards him and Sasuke. They flinch but instead of hitting them, she lunges forward and tackles them both in a hug.

“I was so worried!” she says.

Naruto and Sasuke share a startled glance behind her back before hesitantly wrapping their arms around her waist too.

“Ah, looks like you got back in one piece then,” Kakashi says.

They break apart and look up to find him reading his old book.

Sakura chuckles.

“It’s been a while since team seven got back together,” Naruto realizes with a smile. “Why don’t we have you, Sai, and Captain Yamato over for dinner some time?”

“That sounds lovely,” Sakura agrees.

Sasuke hums and nods slightly. Kakashi smiles behind his mask and puts his book away.

“Oh, alright. If you insist,” he says.

The dragons smile up at their old teacher.

~+~+~+~+~

Nyoko is surprised when her dads take her out shopping. She’s even more curious when they help Mama cook and clean the house. Then Dad’s clone disappears and he steps through the front door, chatting with Lord Sixth. Two strangers enter behind them. One of them sort of looks like Papa, but less handsome. The other has short brown hair and wears a helmet sort of thing that covers his forehead and the sides of his face.

“Nyoko! This is Kakashi-sensei, Sai, and Captain Yamato!” Naruto introduces.

A kunai comes sailing out of the kitchen and Naruto catches it.

“Sasuke!” Naruto whines.

“You almost let the rice burn,” Nyoko hears Papa say from the kitchen.

Naruto rolls his eyes and chucks the kunai at the target at the end of the hall, a few still buried in it. It hits right on target. Naruto leads the group into the dining room.

“Some things never change,” Kakashi sighs.


End file.
